Sunday’s Premio Botticelli (2100m) at Rome winner Baptism is SW63 for Sea The Stars.
A €460,000 Goffs foal, Baptism was a winner in England last year when trained by John Gosden, Baptism sold for 68,000gns at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses-In-Training sale.
Baptism was poised to challenge before the home turn and then came through between horses to strike the front 600m out.
Although hanging out under pressure over the concluding stages, Baptism stayed on well to hold out Spiritual Son (Pour Moi) by 2-1/4 lengths, with Spygate (Brazen Beau) a further 2-3/4 lengths away in third.
Bred by Tullpark Ltd, Baptism was a €460,000 Goffs foal, and a winner in England last year when trained by John Gosden, Baptism sold for 68,000gns at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses-In-Training sale.
Inbred 4×4 to Danzig, he is the first winner for Holy Salt (Holy Roman Emperor), a half-sister to the Australian Gr1 winner I’m Your Man (Cape Cross), as well as the Gr3 Prix Penelope winner Perfect Hedge (Unfuwain), the dam of Gr2 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier winner Called To The Bar (Henrythenavigator).
Baptism’s third dam Alexandrie (Val de l’Orne) won the Prix Cleopatre and dam of Gr1 winner and sire Poliglote (Sadler’s Wells) and Gr2 winner Animatrice (Alleged).
Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) won eight of his nine races including the Derby and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. He is advertised at €150,000 at Gilltown Stud, Ireland, in 2020.